We were once an engineering and product team that used Google's unique reach, resources, infrastructure, and technology to create tools and services purely for good. We reunited survivors of disasters, helped them find shelter, alerted people to keep them safe, built technology to help MSF fight Ebola, and predicted flu epidemics. We worked to lift the most vulnerable among us. Teams all over the company and around the world helped us do things only Google could.
That Google.org no longer exists. The "Google.org" label has been reassigned to Google's donation programs. Google donates money to many meaningful efforts, and that's great; but anyone can donate money. Google used to donate money and build things for good, and it does the latter no more.
It was the weirdest Christmas present that I got in my life, and believe me I got some very weird clothes from my mum when I was young.
I remember google.org - seen from the perspective of an engineer in a far away land it was frankly just kind of weird/creepy/slightly sinister. Yeah the flu epidemic predictor thing was kinda cool, except I never heard anything about it since and I'm not sure it's ever actually been useful for much.
Not sure what office you work or worked in, but where I'm at they regularly go over the top with decorations during celebrations. It's pretty awesome.
How about your government?
How about your insurance company?
Badging for food doesn't say anything about the evolution of Google's culture over time; it only says that the IRS is now coming after Google.
Your government is mandatory, your employer is voluntary.
Your insurance company would likely offer you a discount if you provided them this information. Again, on a voluntary basis. In general when something like this is required by an insurance company it's heavily regulated.
The logic is that the company gets benefits from providing meals that exceed the costs, e.g. shorter lunch breaks since employees don't even have to leave the building. And given that meals can be provided at scale for under $10/head, then even shaving 5 minutes off a lunch break is worth it at Big Tech compensation levels. There's also benefits to having employees eat more meals with other employees, and thus some work gets done over lunch.
The way to address that is to see who is consistently registering to bring in way more guests to the office than anyone else.
It's just for tax purposes, as has been made abundantly clear in this thread.
badging in for meals is for IRS tax purposes...
The two things you facepalmed are absolutely easily explainable.
Where does this apply? Just reception, or more?
Can I have a poster or art? A plant?
That went away this year (and partly restored as a result of memegen-driven protests, after I left as I hear.)
I'm one of those people who go work at Google once every few years.
The transformation of culture from about 2013 onwards has been somewhat sad to experience.
Interestingly, most people who have been continuously employed there have not felt the very slight gradient. However, the changes in culture, freedom, food quality, etc are fairly obvious when one returns after ..say.. 18 months.
Here are some semi-concrete metrics: Decreasing TGIF frequency (now gone..), 'micro kitchen' snack variety and quality, which doors in buildings you are allowed to enter from(:facepalm:), badging in for meals(also :facepalm:), weird restrictions on business flights, attempt to make everything look uniform (no candies in receptions! No decorations..), defense contracts(much publicized here), any other discretionary spending by teams.
Anything I forgot?